


Fun and Games: Plushy

by dragonofdispair



Series: Roads [16]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-01
Updated: 2008-05-01
Packaged: 2018-02-26 19:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2663387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonofdispair/pseuds/dragonofdispair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Playtime with the giant alien robots form outer space...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fun and Games: Plushy

While almost everyone else seemed perfectly content to ignore it in that studious way that really meant that they were hyper aware of it and just pretending it wasn't there for the sake of their sanity, the two government agents stared. Goggled. Probably needed to put their eyes back into their sockets.

Beside him, Agent Simmons said, "I don't get it."

One of the robots made a sound something like television static crossed with glass shards rubbing against each other, modulated in a pattern that superficially resembled laughter. Scorponok the ex-Decepticon, and apparent owner, of the thing was laughing at them.

The thing was of course a floor pillow shaped like a tropical fish. Which the scorpion drone was cuddling like a child with his favorite plushy. If you took out "child" and replaced it with "possibly evil alien war machine" that could be a fairly good description of what was going on. 

A laugh -- a human laugh -- made Tom turn to face the two teenagers. Sam and Mikaela were sprawled on the ground behind NBE-2 -- Bumblebee. Mikaela whispered something to Sam and the boy collapsed with laughter. Giggling she gestured for Tom to come over where they were. Simmons still stared at the Decepticon and his toy. Tom left him there -- based on past experience, he doubted the two kids would be as friendly with the other agent.

"He's been hauling it around for close to three weeks now," was Mikaela's greeting, "Optimus says they found it on a sidewalk with a sign saying it was free."

Beside her, Sam took another look at Simmons and promptly returned to laughing so hard he forgot to breathe.

Across the group, behind the big black NBE -- Ironhide right? -- the soldiers had set up a picnic. As Tom watched, Doctor Jackson finished his conversation with Optimus Prime and went over to them. He said a few words to them while he dug a sandwich out of their supplies, then wandered over to the spot where Scorponok cuddled with his fish pillow. Jackson said something to the scorpion and then sat on the pillow and petted the alien while he ate his sandwich. The anthropologist's actions had the side effect of drawing everyone's attention -- humans and NBEs alike -- to the two of them and the thing they'd been so studiously ignoring a moment earlier.

Tom could hear Simmons sputtering from here.

"Huh."

Tom and Mikaela both turned their attention to Sam. Mikaela nudged him questioningly.

"Not much -- just I think Daniel's the only one who'll touch Scorponok like that."

"Sam," she made sure he was looking at her, "what's strange is that he's brave enough to get that close at all."

"Yeah, you're right."

Tom also agreed.

A few minutes and a sandwich later, the anthropologist was making his way over to the three humans and Bumblebee. 

Tom addressed Doctor Jackson before anyone else could. "Are you sure that was safe?"

Jackson ducked his head and adjusted his glasses. "Ah... from what I've heard, being right next to him is only marginally more dangerous than being fifty feet away. For us fragile humans at least." He quirked a somewhat ironic smile. "Besides, he's working so hard, I thought I'd help him."

Behind the glass lenses, Jackson's eyes glittered as he looked at Tom. Every line of voice tone and body language practically screamed "I know something you don't". Tom sighed and figured this was going to be the anthropologist's revenge for being vague at the time he was hired.

"Help him with what?"

"With what he's doing."

He did not sigh in frustration. He would not. It would be unbecoming of a government agent working on a secret project ensuring the safety of the entire world to allow a reaction that would indulge this person's childish revenge schemes. Unfortunately, from the way Doctor Jackson ducked his head to adjust his glasses again, something had given his feelings away, sigh or no sigh. "And what is he doing?"

Jackson turned to look at the ex-Decepticon who had dragged his stuffed fish over closer to Ironhide and the soldiers and was once again loudly and enthusiastically cuddling with it while Ironhide cursed. Captain Lennox and his team were laughing loudly at them both. Scorponok seemed to be responding as much to the soldiers' laughter as he did to Ironhide's cursing. "Hmm..." the anthropologist dropped the slightly mocking tone, "Several things, some of which I'm not sure he's aware of..." He trailed off.

Tom waited a moment for him to continue, then cleared his throat for attention. Doctor Jackson turned back to him.

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry. He's trying to annoy any of the Autobots who'll give him a reaction -- Ironhide mostly -- and at the same time trying to appear more harmless for the humans. Annoying the Autobots is partially because it's in his personality and he finds it fun, and partially because he's trying to figure out how annoying he can be before someone punishes him for it. Appearing harmless for the humans is because he figures that if he makes nice with us, the Autobots will accept him easier. He's probably right about that, except every time a human gets in striking range they all tense up, so he tries to be harmless." He paused then somewhat absently continued, to all appearances having forgotten that Tom was there. "He's also enjoying having something that's his, that no one will take away from him -- well Ironhide's threatened to, but that's because he's being annoying -- or get mad if he ruins it."

He watched the scorpion give the fish a toss that landed it a bit closer to the group of humans then pounce to cuddle the thing again, subtly working his way closer to the soldiers than Ironhide had been allowing him to be. He had to admit that he could see him trying to be annoying, but the part about the humans Tom wouldn't have noticed without it being pointed out. Or noticed when he deliberately ground the thing into the dirt, then looked around as though checking if anyone cared that he'd just gotten the pseudo-plushie dirtier.

No one did. In fact it seemed like no one who didn't know to watch for it had even seen.

Something in Tom's mind _shifted._ He'd been thinking of Scorponok's defection in terms of Optimus Prime's apparent simple willingness to give the drone a chance -- there was no guarantee that the defection had been genuine, and he hadn't even been able to provide and information on the Decepticons in return. Tom had thought that the only reason the United States government didn't insist on disposing of the thing was because the Autobots were and essentially an independent government that wasn't willing to give over their prisoner of war. Sure he'd been told the information about drones that had been provided, but the implications hadn't really sunk in.

Scorponok wasn't just a defector -- he was a refugee.

 

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